Standish councilor back to work after bad crash

Standish Town Councilor Michael Delcourt returned to the council Tuesday night after time away spent recovering from a car crash that broke his neck.

STANDISH — “Delcourt?”

For the first time in nearly two months, Standish Town Councilor Michael Delcourt answered “here” to that question when the clerk took attendance at the Sept. 5 council meeting.

Delcourt, 72, has spent time away from the council recovering from a serious July car accident that left him with a broken neck, a broken rib and a broken thumb.

Delcourt’s truck was struck from behind as he was waiting to pull into his driveway on Richville Road, according to police.

“I think I’m back,” Delcourt said before Monday night’s special council meeting, which lasted only a matter of minutes before going into executive session. “I’m feeling really good.”

“I had a broken neck, yeah,” he added. “But I lived. It’s a miracle.”

According to the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Delcourt’s 2011 Toyota Tacoma truck was struck by a 2004 Chevy Suburban driven by Michael Richards, 34, of Naples.

Richards was driving north on Richville Road when he hit Delcourt, “catapulting (Delcourt) into hardwood trees on the opposite side of the road,” according to the press release. Richards was not injured.

“It was a mess,” Delcourt said about his totaled truck. “They had to rip it open to get me out.”

“They didn’t think I’d live the first week,” said Delcourt, who has served on the council since 2016 and was a member of the SAD 6 board before that.

He said he’s been overwhelmed by the amount of support he’s received since the accident.

“Oh my god, yes,” he said when asked if he’d gotten support from his fellow council members and the community. “I received support from so many people, it’s frightening.”

Delcourt, who works as an announcer and works the scoreboard at various Bonny Eagle High School games, said he also has received many cards from students wishing him well.

“I’m anxious to go back,” he said, noting that he can’t drive at the moment and has to rely on his wife to get him around.

“I think I might be driving my wife nuts,” he joked.

All kidding aside, Delcourt says that it was family that helped get him through the ordeal.

He said he has five children and nine grandchildren, most of whom live in the area. He had a picture of his 2-year-old granddaughter, Scarlet, with him in the hospital.

“That got me through it,” he said about the picture. “That’s what I wanted to keep going … I’ve got a lot of things to do.”

Delcourt says that his health continues to improve and that he expects his neck brace to come off in about 20 days.

“Every day, it gets better,” Delcourt said.

He didn’t know whether Richards was facing any criminal or civil legal action related to the crash.

“I don’t even know who he is … don’t want to,” Delcourt said of Richards.

“You’d have to talk to the lawyer,” Delcourt said, explaining that his lawyer is Michael Welch, a partner at the personal injury law firm Hardy Wolf & Downing.

“He’s from … the one with the baseball bat,” Delcourt continued, referencing the law firm’s well-known TV advertisements.

Delcourt was more focused on his good fortune to be alive rather than any legal discussions.

Council Chairwoman Kimberly Pomerleau asked Delcourt before starting if he would be able to attend the entire special meeting once it went into executive session to discuss the search for a new town manager to replace retiring manager Gordon Billington.

“I’ll make it,” Delcourt replied.

Pomerleau also asked him if he planned to be back in the announcer’s booth any time soon.

“Mike, will you be doing any announcing at the games this year at all?” Pomerleau asked.